Jerry Gillam covered California government and politics for 40 years, most of that time in the Sacramento bureau of the Los Angeles Times. He left the Times in 1995. Gillam died Saturday in his sleep. Steve Lawrence of Associated Press:

Gillam had diabetes, which led to an infection that forced doctors to amputate his left leg in 2006. He remained upbeat despite his declining health, his wife said.

His death triggered a flood of praise from former colleagues.

"All the good things that everybody said are absolutely true," said Bob Fairbanks, a former Times reporter who described Gillam as a very warm man with a "big laugh...People in the Capitol trusted him, which was why he was such a good reporter."

Noted: Marilyn Chambers, who went from Ivory Soap model to 1970s porn star, was found dead at age 56 in her trailer in Canyon Country. LAT